Sexual Bias Against Women At The Workplace

SEXUAL BIAS AGAINST INDIAN WOMEN AT THE WORKPLACE

The Constitution of India contains a clause that guarantees every woman the right of equality and freedom from sexual discrimination.  Yet, the devaluation of women and the social dominancy and moral policing by men continues to triumph in India.

Women are often given the step-motherly treatment and considered to be a perpetual nincompoop by the very same men who cannot do without the help of a woman for their basic needs.   Women’s human rights are abused and equal opportunities are not given in terms of education, employment or the right to maintain a dignified standard of living. 

The key factor is due to the simple fact that the mind-set of the people in general is that boys are deemed to be more useful than girls.  Boys are given the sole right to inherit the family name and properties, viewing them as an enhanced status in the family, due to the fact that they have a higher economic status with the given education.  

A man’s good –breeding is the best security against other people’s ill manners.  It carries along with it a dignity that is respected by the most petulant.    I agree with the quote by Lord Chatham, that Good-breeding is benevolence in trifles, or the preference of others to us in the daily occurrences of life. 

So where do the women of the present generation stand today?

 The Sexual Harassment of women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 is a legislative act in India that seeks to protect women from sexual harassment at their workplace.  The Lok Sabha passed this act on 3^rd September 2012 and again by the Rajya Sabha on 26^th February 2013.  The Act finally came into force on 9^th December 2013 after the assent of the President on 23^rd April 2013. 

One of the major features as per the VISHAKA GUIDELINES, states that there should be total transparency in the employer-employee relationship with no traces of sexual bias or discrimination in any way regarding the nature of the assigned work.  Yet, it continues to go on undeterred, with the excuse that women are “incompetent”.   I believe that it is their mindset that gives the men a total insecurity complex as to why a woman should be giving them directions.    There are instances when women are harassed to the point of being forced to be flirtatious just to get a project passed.  This is usually done when the woman employee has been threatened of losing her job if she does not co-operate.

Once she gives in she is termed to be a loose-character female.   There are instances when the work place assigns a team outing where the woman is the only female in that particular group.  Her refusal to join in such an outing is often risked with her records being tampered for future promotions.  And if she agrees to comply with their demands, she is at a risk of facing the wrath of her orthodox family and relatives who will never have the patience to give her an ear to her explanations.

There are times when she is the target of male jealousy amongst her work colleagues too in trifle matters like dressing, her cordial behavior, and her way of being dedicated to her job.  It takes the form of physical abuse like everyone hiding her expensive winter jacket in the dusty corner of the work table, playing with her cell-phone messages, hiding her cell phone so that she is not easily accessible to any emergency call from her family, or hiding it in such a place where they know she cannot reach them, stamping and deteriorating her shoes and then asking her to go buy a new pair of shoes if she has that money.

Even if her work were of a fairly good standard, yet her boss would leave no stone unturned to constantly criticize her and bellow at her while the same situation never arises when it comes to the men.  This is nothing but direct sex discrimination.

When she comes and narrates her woes to her family, they have the audacity to say, “You have to bear all this if you need to keep the home fire burning.   You asked for it!” 

Sure, she did but not at the cost of losing her self-respect and dignity.  What support can she expect from her family who will anyways be pricking her with their caustic remarks, coming from a male-dominated family?  I believe that Victimization occurs when you are treated less favorably than others because you have the courage to complain against discrimination either at the work place or in the family. 

Aruna Kashyap, a researcher for the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch has rightly said, “Misogynist ideas and the notion that women and girls are inferior to men coupled with a poor criminal justice system fuels violence against women.”   

The empowerment of women in society today has only resulted in them facing a backlash from forces that want to keep them constantly subjugated.   Today when our women want to stand up for themselves and challenge the very patriarchal system they are being forcibly silenced and asked to stay away from voicing their thoughts and thinking. 

So, how do we tackle this situation?  I believe that in the first place the responsible person for sexist behavior should be made known that such behavior is unacceptable.  If nothing comes out of this, it’s time to take the necessary action with the concerned HR, who is deemed to take the responsible person for disciplinary action and then fire him if he does not reconcile. 

We as a society need to be more humane towards women who are always at the receiving end of sexism.   C.H. Dall was so very right in defining a woman – “Woman is quick to recognize genius, and to listen when wisdom speaks – She may chatter in the presence of fools, but knows and appreciates the value of earnest, sensible men.”

Why daughters are hated by their own Kith and Kin

How often has anybody heard this imploring statement coming from a young female child in their family?  Did anyone take the statement seriously?  Did they care?  Or have they taken it upon themselves to say with an air of arrogance - Who cares, SHE IS A GIRL!! Well readers,  let me take you to the world of so many young battered female children in most homes, where they are not loved, nurtured and even shown happiness for the simple reason that they are born as "A GIRL!"

I am  introducing everyone into the life of today's Indian daughters, who live with drudgery.  I certainly have no qualms about narrating what she is going through in a family where the male dominance is on a high pedestal. I believe that both sex of the  children are given the best education as per their families' capacity, but there is a thin line of partiality when it comes to educating girls.  Unfortunately, under the given circumstances where some women are a single parent they have borne the pain of bringing them up with enough of sacrifices and hardships.   Such women choose to work out of altruism.

A mother is just too happy bringing her daughter into this world, she being the first born, little realizing what is to come in the near future for both of them.  Her daughter's entry is not welcome from the word 'GO' from either her in-laws or from her maternal side. Added to that the husband would look for the smallest  pretext to abuse his daughter - dropping her confidence from a precarious height, watching her scream when she is just a baby( this gives him a kick to see the baby shrieking in fear), hitting her and abusing her from that very age.  When it comes to school, she is the target for hurls and slaps from her own father, and I feel according to them, its an accepted norm, to bring the daughters under control.  

 I have come across a few girls who are slow learners, and I am honest about that. But NOBODY UNDERSTOOD THEM!  :(   They are was always compared to their older siblings who are considered to be born smart, who are street smart in every respect and are the virtual intellectual egg-heads according to their family.  Such girls are often considered as a total nuisance in the family because they fail to come up to their Perfect mark. 

But today, thanks to these children, they have become a bit more smart in assessing people's stupidity and learning new skills to enhance their prospects, on their own. The minute a braggart tries to put them down with his/her smartness, they are all out in defense.  I feel education is the best defense against tyranny.

I believe in what Jeremy Bentham has quoted:

"Create all the happiness you are able to create: remove all the misery you are able to remove. Everyday will allow you to add something to the pleasure of others, or to diminish something of their pains.  And for every grain of enjoyment you sow in the bosom of another, you shall find a harvest in  your own bosom; while every sorrow  which you pluck out from the thoughts and feelings of a fellow creature shall be replaced by beautiful peace and joy in the sanctuary of your soul."

Well coming back to the story of daughters - Her childhood is in total mess.  I hardly remember a day when she is seen happy under her father's scrutiny.  Here again, she is compared  to her younger brother, which disastrously ends in her losing confidence in herself and gives rise to a very low self-esteem.  She slowly drifts into a corner.  A nook in this huge world where she is not given the chance to confide in anyone to help her in a patriarchal society with male dominance.

There is open bias between her and the male children in the family, and sometimes even in the presence of the other female children who are lucky to get empowered as they are smart from birth.  The reason being that in the presence of friends and relations, there is a show of good humor and bonhomie and behind their back the manipulations are worse.  The result is that even if the daughter tries to convince anyone about how she is being treated, the reaction  is always met with a stern refusal of believing what she has to confide.

What does our Indian Judiciary have to say for single parents  who want to seek legal help in finding justice over matrimonial affairs?   No chance!! All the pandemonium about women's rights, empowering women is all hogwash, just in paper.   So, where does the woman of today stand in the scenario of empowering women?  Any answers?

At home in most Indian families, the members make it mandatory to get all the chores done through the daughters saying "It's a girl's job." Why can't the same thing be put in a more polite manner to the daughters?  I have witnessed  the way  daughters are being treated by the women folk in their own families and every time,  I seem to get a strong sense of the movie  retake on 'LES MISERABLES'  (the French historical novel by Victor Hugo).  I am sure most of the readers are also subjected to the same treatment by their families.   The females are assumed to be obtuse and slow in their studies, so the better option was to put them through the grueling task of house-hold chores. They are not exposed to any other hobbies, skills or basic interests that could have made them smart. 

 So, today when the whole family sits down to watch for example, a cricket match and pass the choicest comments on batting and fielding, these poor girls are left wondering as to why a poor ball has to be hit so hard umpteen number of times just to score a few runs!! Nobody ever had sympathy for that poor ball!! And people rejoice when the scores are high.  What sort of a game is that??? May be if they were taught the intrinsic aspects of the game, they could have enjoyed it just like any one else.  But, unfortunately, the patriarchal members in the family feel that is not required. And yet they are the first ones to comment on these girls when any family friend asks as to why they are not interested in cricket or any game or any hobbies - She never takes any interest in anything!! Maar dala Usko!!!

The present scenario is that even when the family sits down for lunch one dinner plate is always missing.  Guess who?  The family never sets the dinner plate for their daughters.  According to them, she is not included as a family member.  Why?  Because SHE IS A GIRL and she is a PARIAH! So she has to be subjected to the most cruel abasement.  This coming from a woman to a woman itself! So I often have constant tiffs with my mother over such trivial issues.  I just cannot stand her harangue. My mother does not have any explanation to this attitude and only ends up saying, "What to do?  It is the girl's Karma!!

I would like to know who created this Karma? Karma begins when people are stubborn as mules to not change their atttitudes from Negative to Positive thinking in the right direction.

I have known of families where girls often had a desire to study further, beyond their graduation, specialize in certain subjects of their choice. Pat comes the reply - "What do you want to study further for?  You will only end up working in the kitchen and keep your husband happy.  So why do you want to waste our money?"So her dreams of higher studies and better prospects just dies and turns to dust.

So, now it is but natural to make a scapegoat of  her and say she is not as smart as her brother. And when these very same Nuts of society see women prospering in other families where girls are empowered, they start talking..... "See how smart and ambitious she is! You are a dud, Good for Nothing!"  Little realizing that they are the culprits for messing the child's life.

In solitary moments, when I do get the chance to be with my daughter, she always has a pathetic lament on her lips, "Mom, why am I not being loved in the same manner as my brother?  Why is he always given the better treatment by all in the family?" So you see readers, here comes the truth.  I strive really hard to boost her confidence against all odds.  And I am confident I shall see her successful in reaching her goals in life.

I am not able to say much about the psychology running in the minds of the people in such families. 

 So, the only assurance I can give my daughter is that, "We are all God's children, and IF NOBODY LOVES US,  HE is there to love us! Stick to your principles in life with dedication and courage!

In spite of all the harsh treatment meted out to daughters, she still has the forgiving quality in her.  And she also knows that in a dominating family No one will never or ever like her.  It's a shame that being females themselves, instead of supporting a girl-child in the family they are determined in wrecking her life.  And again, these are the loud speakers when it comes to feigning deep concern on abuse to women in public or anywhere in the world.  And may I ask what do they gain from all this?

The tragedy is that none of these people with a misogynist attitude ever realized the repercussions of their words and actions on the psyche of the poor child.   Today, when and IF she is employed, even at the workplace, she experiences a low self-esteem.  The confidence level is very low.  She constantly has the fear that she is good-for-nothing.  And who is responsible for this wreck?   All the loud speakers of our society. Again she is blamed for the low productivity in her work place.  

So, don't you think it's time to change the mind-set of such people, with a firm hand, who bring havoc in the female children generation after generation?

Where have we lost our peace of mind?

How often have we heard today from the very next person that we have encountered about them not having any peace of mind in their lives.   Perhaps, the reason,  I believe is that today we have thrown caution to the winds and have ended putting us to worrying for those reasons that were never there in the first place.  I would like to share these pearls of wisdom, which I hope many of you would surely agree to.

Minding Our Own Business:

It’s time we learned to stop interfering in other people’s affairs.   Many of us have just forgotten to understand the meaning of giving people SPACE.  This could be because most of us have taken it for granted we have the best logic available in today’s Super Market and that those around us who refuse to come in to our line of thinking need to be condemned and pulled by their horns into the right direction.

For a fraction of a few precious moments, have we thought that we are indeed violating the person’s uniqueness?  When we look at the five fingers on our palms, what exactly do we see?  Are they all the same?  The same point applies here to every individual created by the Almighty, and we ought to respect every individual for the beautiful creation bestowed by God.  So do we really need to cross the thin line of ethics?

Forgiving And Forgetting:

This sounds so very simple and easy.  It’s understandable that putting it into practice is a Herculean task.  When the people whom we love, trust and whom we respect, hurt us, we do have the strong urge to cultivate antagonism.  By doing this, I believe that we are the ones who suffer the most.  So, let us learn to lie low and concentrate the art of counting to ten whenever we encounter moments of hatred from such people.

Looking out for False Flattery:

We live in the midst of different types of people – some who are egotistic, mercenaries and dogmatic.  They are those people who have no words like ‘Thank you’, ‘Please’ or the basic ethics in their dictionary.  You will be able to recognize these people in no time.  They are oozing with sweetness when they need to get something out of you.  But, once their job is done, you are not in their list of known people.

These are the people who will lavish praises on you when you are in the limelight with a good financial backing, having the power to be with the rich, elite and the cream of society.  They do take pride in letting the people less known to them about their contacts with you, which clearly indicates a very low self-esteem.   The moment you are dethroned from your high horse, these very same people are out to pull you down in public and sneer at you.  YOU’VE BECOME A VILLAIN OVERNIGHT.

Do not be the Green-eyed Monster:

What does envy do to anybody?  It pulls people apart.  Instead of being envious, why can’t the people strive to work hard and learn how to climb the ladder of success?  No, these envious people do not have the time for all that and even if they do have they would like to waste it on plotting the downfall of the successful people with new strategies up their sleeves.  They end up telling all and sundry – “ I just cannot sleep at night.”   Naturally, how can they get sleep, when they are busy rolling on the bed looking out for a new scheme till the crack of dawn!!

We need to do our duty first and leave the fruits of it to the Almighty.  Instead of wasting time blaming others for our mis-fortune, let us start using our time in a constructive way.  Envy is a passion so full of cowardice and shame, that nobody ever had the confidence to own it. 

Let us change ourselves to the environment around us:

What happens when you expect the whole world to change to your attitude?  We could end up hearing everyone say – Why must I change for him or her?  I shall be the way I am. Accept it or leave it.   The point in question is – this is where we need to change ourselves to the given circumstances, compromise a bit and be easy to handle for others to move on and to allow us to move on in life.   What I mean to say that if you want to live in Peace and harmony learn to be practical, and accommodative in all spheres.

Learn to tolerate what cannot be Remedied:

In our daily routine, we do face so many situations that often make us reach our saturation point.  We come across people who just refuse to change.  We cannot help but give in to their mind-set.   I believe that either we endure them or we stay away from such toxic people who corrode our lives.  They are so full of negativity that we tend to feel we have reached the fag end of our lives. 

Do not bite more than you can chew:

These are statutory warnings that need to be etched in our brains.  We ought to know our limits and capacities to take on the responsibilities entrusted to us.   I believe in the old saying: “All work and no play makes Jack a Dull boy.” There should be a perfect balance in the work we do and in the time we utilize for rest and recreation. We need to stop thinking too much and start working on our goals in life, too.  Unwanted thinking always results in a restless mind.

Learn to be calm and relaxed:

Peace of mind is best achieved with a calm mind.  Meditating best does this, which helps in giving out your best and be more focused in life.  You begin to get clarity in your thinking and reasoning too.  Once this stage is reached you automatically learn to see success in all that you do.

An Idle Mind is A Devil’s workshop:

When you have nothing better to do the whole day, that’s when evil thoughts are bred inside you.  Learn to keep yourself occupied with what best you are able to achieve in getting peace of mind.  It could be putting your dormant talents to use, taking up hobbies that you have long ago left behind, doing a charitable work that can give you a sense of fulfillment in seeing joy in another person’s life.   If we tend to look around us, we would surely notice that there are a lot of jobs pending that we had decided to pick on sometime and never pulled ourselves to getting it done.

Stop Procrastinating and lamenting:

Delays are always very dangerous.  We ought to write it in our hearts that every day is the best day in the year.   No man ever served God by doing things to-morrow.  If we are blessed, then it’s only because of the things that we do to day.   As Young quoted, “ Procrastination is the thief of time; year after year it steals till all are fled, and to the mercies of a moment leaves the vast concerns of an eternal scene.”   

I believe that the procrastinator is not only indolent and weak but commonly false too;  most of the weak are false. 

You Are You

 You are strong when you take your grief and teach it to smile.

You are brave when you overcome your fear and help others to do the same.

You are happy when you see a flower and are thankful for the blessing.

You are loving when your own pain does not blind you to the pain of others.

You are wise when you know the limits of your wisdom.

You are true when you admit there are times you fool yourself.

You are alive when tomorrow's hope means more to you than yesterday's mistake.

You are growing when you know what you are but not what you will become.

You are free when you are in control of yourself and do not wish to control others.

You are honorable when you find your honor is to honor others.

You are generous when you can take as sweetly as you can give.

You are humble when you do not know how humble you are.

You are thoughtful when you see me just as I am and treat me just as you are.

You are merciful when you forgive in others the faults you condemn in yourself.

You are beautiful when you don't need a mirror to tell you.

You are rich when you never need more than what you have.

You are you when you are at peace with who you are not.

HOW SAFE ARE OUR WOMEN IN INDIA?

My dear Friends, here is a chilling account of an incident that occurred a few days back in the Capital city of our country. A place that everyone looks up to as the most prestigious, elite class of cities with innumerable people who are called as “The Cream of High Society”.  But has anyone seen the other side of Mid-night? Please do read on.

A medical student on her way from home after duty was gang raped by a group of six jerks in New Delhi on the 16^th of December.  Her boyfriend escorted her.  She is struggling for her life on a ventilator.

It must be noted that less than an hour before the rape incident, the men on the bus reportedly called out to a carpenter and offered him a ride. He got on unawares and was robbed.  The innocent man was dumped out of the bus on a busy road, which is very close to the well-known INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. The bus then headed towards the stop where the young lady and her friend were waiting to board a bus to take them home. 

The men, including the bus driver, had taken out the bus for a joy ride on the evening of the incident. According to the police, they were all drinking before the incident and practically moonlighting, hoping to make an extra buck.  They spotted the student with her friend at the bus stop, called out to them saying they were headed to the place where she  lives and pulled over.  As per the reports, the young lady and her friend boarded the bus, assuming that this was one of the many privately operated buses that are treated like public transport in Delhi.   They bought the tickets and boarded the bus.

On the bus, an argument began when the accused asked the lady’s friend what he was doing with a young woman at that time of the night.  Since when have the bus drivers begun “Moral Policing”?  That was none of his or her business to investigate on anyone’s private life.  They were soon being harassed for being out at night, which was approximately around 8:15 PM. When her friend intervened to help her, the attackers gagged him and then began hitting him mercilessly with an iron rod. She tried to protect him and the men on the bus decided she “SHOULD BE PUNISHED”.  She was hit with the same rod and gang-raped in the most heinous and demeaning manner in the driver’s cabin where she was forcibly taken, while the driver kept the bus moving.  Having sated their satanical and insatiable hunger and lust for a woman’s flesh for a certain point of time, (as per the Friend’s revelation it was 90 minutes of torture for the young lady, who was physically assaulted with the iron rod on her face, her private parts, the internal organs ruptured), the couple was thrown semi-naked onto the road.

They were found unconscious there, by a passer-by who informed the police. They were then taken to hospital, where the woman has undergone multiple surgeries and is on ventilator support with what the doctors have described as “irreparable damage” to her abdomen and intestines.  Doctors say that her condition is very critical.  The abdomen and the intestine are not in the right place. This was an absolutely abominable act, which ought to be condemned by anyone who has the least bit of remorse and humanity in them.

My friends, don’t you feel that this act calls for some thinking?  Is this not a gross violation of human rights? Are a boy and a girl being together a crime? It appears that the criminals have no fear for the laws of this country, as they admit openly that they are remorseless.  If the men are questioning the girl and her friend as to what they were doing out at night, may I ask those hoodlums what were they doing at that hour of the night too? Is being out on the road only the privilege of the males?  The question arises now as to how safe are our women in this country that worships the female deities and seeks her blessings for all their wants. What is the Center doing about the ever-increasing crime rate in our country?  When it comes to discussions on sensitive issues on women in the Parliament they have NO TIME.  Why are our laws so lenient that every criminal is treated like a king?

Laws should be deterrent. We need more of implementation of strict laws rather than verbal talks from the members of the Parliament. There is more of verbal diarrhea on rules that are only on paper.  No wonder the criminals are making hay under such an atmosphere. The fear of the corporal punishment ceases to exist.   When will the Center really really wake up?  We find that 30% of the Security and the Police Force are on VIP duty. Isn’t this outrageous? Where is all our tax that is being paid so judiciously by us the common man going?

 My Question to all is – “why is it that the statement in the end always comes as a blame game on the women as “She asked for it.” Why cannot the men be put on a leash? As someone once said, “We men have a defective gene somewhere”. Yes that is really very true. Men just cannot control their lust when they see a woman.  Why is it that they lose their self-control at the sight of a woman? Where has their will power gone? Look at this picture - who are the men to question on what a woman wears?  My message to those perverts is this -"Thank your stars SHE  has not come naked in front of you. Where has your lustful senses gone out of place? 

There were even young men who got the information all warped up on the wrong side of the brain, and who had the audacity to tell me, "But aunty she should have dressed decently and not scantily."  Oh really!! When a woman is fully clothed from head to foot in a Punjabi dress or even a pair of Jeans, or the traditional Indian NAARI, in a saree, even then she is raped. And for those trying to enlighten me - In this case, the young student was fully clothed, in New Delhi's Winter, BUT I insist on the BUT,  she was thrown out in a semi-naked condition.  Who the hell has the answer to that?  These men think that they are all PURITANS, the so-called SAINTS.

I am writing this blog because I am so depressed, yes; I am so disturbed at the lawlessness of our country. I like any young mother have so many questions to ask from our law makers and from the Government – Why? Why are you so partial to the women folk of our country? How can you guarantee to us mothers that our daughters are safe?  Can you assure us that once our daughters go out of the house to earn a respectable living, will they come back safely, physically, mentally, emotionally to carry on their daily tasks and routine chores with their heads held high in dignity and pride?  Can you?

I am sick of all the “YES MINISTERS”.  It is time for me to cry out in despair – ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!